Rail joint shim



June 6, 1939. F|F|ELD 2,161,149

RAIL JOINT SHIM Original Filed May 5, 1933 Enncntor Alberf .F'f/e/d Bya)? +614 41 His G megs.

Patented June 6, 1939 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFIQE The American Fork &The Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original applicationMay 3, 1933, Serial No.

669,218, now Patent No. 2,101,900, dated December 14, 1937. Divided andthis application April 30, 1937, Serial N0. 139,996

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rail joint constructions andparticularly to improvements in two-part shims to effect compensationfor wear of the elements of rail joints.

At the juncture of two rail ends of a railway track, it is customarytoprovide a joint construction comprising a pair of rail clamping jointside bars, or so-called fishplates, wedgingly engaging the undersides ofthe rail heads and the upper sides of the rail flanges and clamped tothe rails by bolts extending through aligned perforations in thevertical rail webs and the joint bars.

After continued use, due to passage of trains over the track, theengaging surfaces of the rail ends and the joint bars become worn awayproducing a tapered crevice intermediate the upper fishing surfaces ofthe joint bars and the under surfaces of the rail heads, the greatestwear of the rail heads occurring nearest the rail ends. Since the endsof the rails are usually separated, a fillet or fin is left on the jointbar at the ends of the rails which is not worn away as is the case withthe more remote portions of the joint bars.

An object of my invention is to so form the two-part shim as to escapeundesirable contact with the said fin of the joint bar.

Another object of my invention is to provide a joint constructioncomprising an improved shim which may be used between the rail heads atthe ends of the rails and the joint side bar to compensate for wearwhich has occurred therein.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved shim of thetype referred to so constructed that the above mentioned fin may notinterfere with the fit of the shim between the joint bars and the rails.

Another object of my invention is'to provide an improved shim of thetype referred to having means for suitably positioning it in wearcompensating position and to maintain it with full operative effect insuch position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a shim of the type referredto so constructed that liability to breakage thereof when subjected tothe strains and shocks of use in wear compensating position in a railjoint, will be minimized.

Another object of my invention is to provide a two-piece shimconstruction adapted to compensate for wear occurring on the joint barand the two rail ends and in which the two corre- 5 sponding Wearcompensating portions of the shim may be prevented from shiftingrelative to each other in use. 4

Other objects of my invention will become apparent to those skilled inthe art to which my invention appertains.

My invention is fully described in the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing in which: i

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a two-part shim elementwhich is anotherembodiment of my invention with the parts in disassembled relation toillustrate certain features thereof;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View to enlarged scale of the shim of Fig. 1 withthe parts in assembled relative relation;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational fragmentary view to an enlarged scale ofthe shim of Fig. 2, applied to a rail joint.

Fig. 4 is a view taken from the plane 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated my invention embodied in ashim in two parts, adapted to be disposed end to end in mutuallyabutting relation and when so disposed constituting in effect aone-piece shim.

The two parts indicated generally at l and 2 are each generally angularin cross-section and each has a depending lug portion 3 and 4; and eachis provided with a notch 5 and 6, the lugs 3-4 and notches 56 being sodisposed that when the two parts of the shim are disposed in abuttingrelation as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the two notches 5 and 6compose a single notch 1 in the intermediate portion of the shim and thetwo lugs 3 and 4 are of such size and disposition that they willconstitute a single lug 8 in the intermediate portion of the shim.

The shim illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is one which is of theso-called two-part or halfshim type and the special means laterdescribed comprising the off-set projections 9 and [0 are provided toprevent the overlapping of the two aligned half shims in track afteruse. The two half shims of a related pair are susceptible to use aloneor together depending upon the condition of the joint and the nature ofthe traffic on the track comprising such a joint. For instance, instrictly one-way trafiic, the wear will be principally occasioned underone only of the rail heads. Commonly, however, the second shim of thepair will also be used although this may often be a much thinner shim.In such a case, however, the means later more particularly described areemployed to prevent the overlapping of the two half shims.

InFig. 3 it will be seen that the manner of application of the half shimis like that commonly employed, the shim being shown applied. to therail joint ends I], the joint bar and bolts being omitted to expose theinner parts.

The generally vertical flanges II and E2 of the two parts may, ifdesired, be of uniform thickness and the wear compensating flanges l3and I4 may be of tapering thickness toward the outer ends thereof. Ifdesired, both flanges may be of tapering thickness and of relativelygreat length.

When the shim constructed as just-described is placed against the railends'and between the rails and the bars, the composite notch 1 providesa stem space into which the stem may project. When the bolts have beenput in place and the nuts thereof drawn up tight, the flanges of theshim will fit in the worn away portions of the rails and the worn barand rails may thus be continuous in use.

The longitudinal extent of the composite lug 8 forming in a sense aportion of the flanges H and I2 is such as to substantially fit betweenthe two innermost adjacent bolts and thus position the two-part shimlongitudinally when installing it thereafter preventing its displacementlongitudinally if it should tend tocreep in use. In Fig. 3 the shimparts I and 2 are shown with the flanges l3 and I4 disposed in abuttingrelation to the underside of the rail heads H.

The inner abutting edges 15 and N3 of the two parts of the shim areprovided with offset portions 9 and I0 formed by a pressing operation onthe sheet metal of the flanges H and I2 and the lug portions 3 and 4.Preferably the offset portions 9 are pressed inwardly and the offsetportions it) outwardly. Preferably also, the opposing offset portions 99are slightly offset from each other vertically as are the offsetportions 53-46, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. These offset portionsprovide relatively thick abutting portions on the two adjacent parts ofthe shim and prevent one part from being overlappingly displaced uponthe other part when in the position of use.

By constructing the shim in two parts, two halves having differentdegrees of thickness, taper, or even of different lengths, may beselected and, combined to form a single shim in c'or-' respondence withunequal amounts of wear to be compensated for on the two sides of themedial plane of the joint, but in each case, when the two-part shim isinstalled, it may in all respects effect the wear compensating functionof a single or one-piece shim. Any weakening of the shim by thecomposite notch l is compensated for by the composite lug 8 and thustendency of the shim to crystallize and crack in its intermediateportion when in use is prevented. The composite lug 8, as clearlyillustrated, makes the area of the shim blank approximately the same atits middle portion where the composite notch '1 occurs, as it is in thelaterally extending wings and preferably the composite lug 8 extendsoppositely to the composite notch l a greater distance than the distancerepresented by the width of the blank at laterally remote portions ofthe shim, so that notwithstanding the composite notch the shim isstronger at the notch middle portion than it is in portions laterallyremote from the notch. This is particularly important, since the railsand joint side bars during passage of trains over the track may be movedupwardly and'downwardly with considerable force, and it is exceedinglyimportant that the vertically disposed portion of the shim be made muchwider at the middle portion of the shim than elsewhere, so as towithstand the component of resulting stress tending to shear or breakthe shim into two parts.

By virtue of my present invention whereby liability to fracture of theunitary shim into two parts is prevented whenever the shim or eitherpart of the shim is insufficiently thick in its wear compensatingportions to fill a crevice in the joint occasioned by wear, a new andthicker shim can be substituted therefor and the said older shim berenewed for use in other joints where the wear is not so excessive.

The present application is a divisional of my copending application,Serial No. 669,218 filed May 3, 1933 Patent No. 2,101,900 issuedDecember 14, 1937, for One-piece rail joint shims and reference may behad thereto for a more complete understanding of the application of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention in specific embodiments, I am awarethat numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom but withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. Awear compensating means for rail end joints of the class comprisinga side bar and bolts projected through the bar and through the rail webcomprising a two-part metallic shim each part of angular cross-section,thetwo parts adapted to be disposed end to end and positioned betweenthe bar and the rail, and tapering in thickness toward their oppositeends, the adjacent ends of the vertical flanges of the two parts havingmeans locally and vertically offset to prevent one shim part from beingoverlappingly displaced longitudinally relative to the other part.

2. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized byhaving a notch in adjacent ends of corresponding horizontal flanges ofthe two parts of the shim providing jointly a clearance portion for aprojection on the joint side bar and having a lug on the vertical flangeof each part engageable each with a lateral portion of one of a pair ofadjacent bolts to prevent longitudinal displacement in the otherdirection.

3. A wear compensating means as described in claim. 1 characterized byone of the flange portions adapted to project between the web of therail and the joint bar being of substantially the same thicknessthroughout its length.

4. A wear compensating means for rail end joints of the class comprisinga side bar and bolts projected through the bar and through the rail webcomprising a two-part metallic shim each part being of angularcross-section, the two parts adapted to be disposed end to end andpositioned between the bar and the rail and tapering in thickness towardtheir opposite ends, the vertical flange of at least one part beingprovided with a projecting element extending perpendicular to the planeof the said flange to prevent one shim part from being overlappinglydisplaced longitudinally relative to the other part, the adjacent endsof the horizontal flanges having notches therein providing jointly aclearance portion for a projection on the joint side bar, and one of thevertical flanges of each part being provided with a lug engageable eachwith a lateral portion of one of a pair of adjacent bolts to preventlongitudinal displacement of the shims relative to each other.

5. A wear compensating means for rail end joints of the class comprisinga side bar and bolts projected through the bar and through the rail webcomprising a two-part metallic shim each part being of angularcross-section, the two parts adapted to be disposed end to end andpositioned between the bar and the rail and tapering in thickness towardtheir opposite ends, and the vertical flange of each part having aprojection extending perpendicular to the flange plane so as to bevertically offset from the corresponding projection on the other partsubstantially at the meeting plane of the joint to prevent longitudinaloverlapping of the shim parts and the two parts having notches inadjacent ends of their horizontal flanges providing jointly a clearanceportion for a projection on the joint side bar.

6. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized byone of the shim portions being of a different degree of thickness thanthe other shim portion.

'7. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized byone of the shim portions being of a difierent degree of taper than theother shim portion,

8. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized byone of the shim portions the rail and the joint bar, being thicker thanthe corresponding portion of the wear compensating flange portion forthe other part disposed at the same distance from the meeting plane ofthe joint.

10. A rail compensating means for rail and joints of the classcomprising a side bar and'bolt projected through the bar and through therail web comprising a two-part metallic shim each part of angularcross-section, the two parts adapted to be disposed end to end andpositioned between the bar and the rail, and tapering in thicknesstowards their opposite ends, and the adjacent ends of the verticalflanges of the two parts having projections extending perpendicularly tothe plane of the vertical flanges to pre- 20 vent longitudinaloverlapping of the shim parts.

ALBERT F. FIFIELD.

